Feb 17, 2012

The commercial is another floor-buster in poor taste for militant ethical rights group, PETA (or People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals).

I didn't catch this on TV and I'm not sure what media buy PETA has for this, but it may go viral for all the wrong reasons. When I clicked on a link to PETA's YouTube channel and watched this PSA parody for the first time, the PETA name immediately raised my BS meter - and with good reason.

The voice over is narrated by former SNL comedian, Kevin Nealon, and reads:

"This is Jessica.
She suffers from B.W.V.A.K.T-BOOM...

'Boyfriend Went Vegan And Knocked The Bottom Out Of Me.'

A painful condition that occurs when boyfriends go vegan and can suddenly bring it like a tantric porn star.

For Jessica, it's too late.

(Boyfriend) 'Oh you're back... you feeling better?'

Please go to bwvaktboom.com and learn to go vegan... safely."

In this ad, titled "Boyfriend Went Vegan", the scantily clad girlfriend in a jacket, Jessica, is all battered and bruised complete with a fake neck brace. The premise is that she is in this state from repeated roughhousing and non-stop sex as a result of suffering from a fictitious condition - "B.W.V.A.K.T.-BOOM" or Boyfriend Went Vegan And Knocked The Bottom Out Of Me.

But I really think it's PETA that have "knocked the bottom" out of taste and decency for their cause. In a lame attempt at controversy and humor, the boyfriend is the cause of all this mayhem. "Jessica" gives off a faint smile at the end, as if to say it's all worth it.

And viewers are then urged to visit the website URL to find out more information on going vegan. And here there's such pearls of wisdom to protect a woman from this syndrome, including tips such as:
* Wearing a helmet (“strap it down, hop in bed and hold on tight”).
* Wearing goggles to “protect your corneas from his turbocharged loads”.
* Strengthening your pelvic floor muscles so you can handle his ‘superpower’.

At the end of my initial viewing, I have to say I was a little puzzled. I had never heard that going vegan turns you into a horny sex fiend (or violent misogynist) who can then manipulate your partners (or victims) into going out to grab some more fruit and veggies and then coming back for more.

And so the whole set-up becomes a stretch... a WALLOPING stretch - which isn't unusual for PETA, who continually manage to drop the bar of ethical standards for the sake of headlines. PETA have already come out to defend the ad stating that its "tongue-in-cheek", "humorous" (by whose standards?) and because the girl gives a "mischievous" smile at the end, she must like it. And so this must mean that its OK (especially if its in this fictitious far-fetched hypothetical scenario).

I believe I've heard rapists use a similar line of defence.

The ad agency responsible for this battered piece of waffle, Matter (who don't appear to have any online presence), most likely managed to convince PETA's marketing department that the controversy and headlines this will generate will outweigh the criticism. The convoluted sell will do little to persuade people to try veganism. Some will say that its generated a lot of word-of-mouth and "buzz". Sure. Maybe a few gullible people might take on the belief that not eating chicken and eggs gives your hormones a boost. Are there any scientific studies backing this up?

This is where the whole thing becomes offensive. PETA would rather have guys munching celery sticks and granola than steaks or cheese so that they can then slap girls around in the bedroom. To them, that is a forgivable trade-off.

This has nothing to do with veganism or vegetarianism but everything to do with PETA's shitty name as an "altruistic" organization which I feel has shamelessly peddled violence against women in a humorless vignette. The fact that PETA's President is a woman makes the irony all the more hard-hitting.

The impression many people get is that PETA will defend the rights of animals at the expense of the rights of women.

The impression I get (and have for quite some time now) is that PETA is a PITA.